Let's Do This!

I'm going to be doing a sew along!  I "like" Simplicity patterns on Facebook and they will be doing a sew along starting tomorrow to make a skirt.  They are doing Simplicity 2185, but the only requirements were that it had to be a Simplicity or New Look pattern preferrably with a zipper.  I'm going to go with New Look 6899 View B.

She looks SO thrilled.

The fabric is from the tutti frutti collection at Joann Fabrics.  I'm a little concerned about the fabric.  I wanted something light and festive, but I'm worried it's going to be a little clown-ish.  I really like this pattern and if I get overly ambitious I can see myself making one of the tops in the pattern too.

I still have three other projects I'm working on, but this will get completed as the sew along progresses.

In A World Of Pure Imagination...

Finally!  This past week I finally took my sewing machine out of it's box and unpacked some boxes of fabric and notions.  I even completed some projects.  Unfortunately, you are going to have to use your imagination for right now because I didn't take pictures of the finished projects.  I had a baby shower to attend Sunday and a smart woman would have started making the gifts the moment she found out...this woman started it the day before...after walk/running seven miles.  I was up till midnight and tried to fix some things the morning of, but they were completed and I think that's what counts.

The first thing I made was a baby blanket.

This was the first thing I thought of to make when the shower was mentioned.  I had this fleece in my possession since 2006.  Since I have a boy I'm not sure why I bought it, but now I'm glad I did.  I did have to go out and get the blanket binding.  The original blanket was going to take two packages of binding, but I had only bought one.  I went back to get another, but I got the wrong color (picutured is "hot pink", the blanket has "shocking pink").  My husband pointed out that the original size blanket was going to be super huge for a tiny tiny person so it was downsized to a square.

Gift two was a bib.

I always raid the remnant bins at Jo-ann Fabrics and at some point had picked up vinyl and this cute fabric.  Add the leftover bias tape from the Buzz Lightyear costume.  I used pattern Simplicity 2924.  It wasn't perfect.  My husband pointed out that it was good enough for a baby to spit up on.  (He's so helpful, lol.)

I added a newborn dress that I couldn't resist at Target and a small loaf of banana walnut chocolate chip bread (recipe from Food Network Magazine).  I was very proud of the way it all turned out (although I was apologizing like crazy because that things weren't perfect at the shower).

Coming up, I still have Al's vest.  It's all cut out and taunting me.  I didn't even start the pants yet.  I think I may see if I can find a bigger pattern to fit my big butt. 

In the meantime I'm going to (hopefully) make a dress for myself.  Gotta love the selfish sewing!

McCall's 6037 View C

Hopefully the dress will be finished before the summer ends.

I also received my first issue of Ottobre Design Woman.  See that face.  She's saying "Hello, make my clothes!".

I feels good to be getting back into the groove.  I'm already thinking about Halloween costumes.  My son, having conquered being Buzz, has decided he wants to be Woody.  As I was going through my blog today I realized I never updated with completed Buzz costume.  I had made some updates before the actual party last September.  I will look for that and update soon.

Thanks to all my readers that have stuck with me!

**Update***

I'm sad to report that I'm still trying to set up my sewing space.  I'm optimistic this weekend will be the weekend the hubs and I get it in gear and tackle the downstairs, but that's what I thought last weekend.  I have the sewing itch, but can't even get to my table (which was damaged in the move, but has been fixed). 

Today I'm taking a trip to the Joann Fabric to get more patterns and fabric.  Hopefully that will make me motivated enough to get in there and at least make a path.  I've been following the Celebrate The Boy blogs and I'm so desperate to make so much of the cute-ness. 

Look for another update soon!

Damn My Ambitious Husband

I know that I haven't updated in so very long.  After I was ready to start with the making of Christmas presents we got the news that my husband had been accepted for a new job with a new company with a spiffy new larger paycheck to boot.  The thing was....we are going to have to move again.

Thankfully, to a larger city with lots to do, but it's been consuming all my time getting things ready.  Our "official" move date is 10 days from now (Jan 28) so for the last month I've been getting quotes, researching areas and schools, organizing, throwing things out, and random other moving related things.  We didn't even put up Christmas decorations.  I did however make our new stockings which I would love to show you a picture of...if my husband hadn't zipped them up and threw them in a box!

All of these means the sewing and crafting is on hold till at least Mid-February possibly early March.  Thanks to everyone who reads this! 

Overwhelmed

Chastity: I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?

Bianca: I think you can in Europe.


-Ten Things I Hate About You


Christmas is upon us.  I am feeling like that kid that's worried he's going to be left behind in school because I just cannot seem to get my projects finished like I planned.  I'm not even done with Alex's vest or my pants, but Christmas is taking precedence.  Since my mom and hubby read this I'm not going to go into detail with what I'm up to.  Let's just say I'm feeling the pressure because I have many things started, but not completed.  (As a side note, I can't believe how expensive nuts are!)

 As soon as I have something to show I will show, for now....

Here's a picture of a baby in a Santa costume (and the reason my four year old may need therapy eventually)

I Love My Ass...

but, evidently, Simplicity does not.  Amazing Fit my err...ass.  I'm so very frustrated with these pants right now.  I measure and measure and I can't seem to make it work.  I measured my (high) waist and it's a 40, then I measure my hips and they are a 49 (baby got back to spare).  This, of course, is off chart for the pattern.  Finally, I measured my crotch length and it was, no surprise, off chart as well. 

Calculating from the chart on the back of the pattern I might have been able to get away with a 24, but my pattern doesn't go up that far.  (I want to state for the record I have a Levi's size 14 jean in my closet that I wear often and my ass is fabulous in them.)  I'm considering tracing the largest size (22) and then I will have to make adjustments.  I pulled out my Fit for Real People to figure out what needs to be done.  Apparently this book is only useful for shirt, skirts, and dresses.  They have a whole other book for pants.  That's just wrong.

I'm also considering just chucking it out the window and having my personal cabana boy serve me a Pina Colada...

Option three is to just put it on the backburner and make Alex's vest. 

Perhaps a combo of two and three?

See and Sew B5203

I finally finished the shirt.  I was having problems finding the time for a while.

 
The instructions said the collar was supposed to be hemmed with bias tape.  I bought some bias tape that I thought would work with the color of the shirt.  No, really really not.  Too neon green.  Being this shiny (and kinda awesome) green I realized unless I made my own it wasn't going to really match.  I decided to go with a narrow hem instead.  I had done a ton of them for my Halloween cape and with the method from Threads I felt confident it would look great.  I accidentally read the instructions for View A though so no hole in the back. (D'oh!)

Then I was having sleeve "issues".   I looked at the instructions, but decided I wanted to do the sleeves so that it was one long stitch from the cuff of the sleeve to the bottom hem.  Eventually it became obvious that wasn't going to fly with these particular sleeves.  They wanted to be done exactly as the instructions said.  Annoying.  There was a lot of stitch and rip before I just succumbed to the instructions. 

This is honestly the best picture of the shirt on me.  Hair and makeup, but no smile.  :(  I'm starting to think my husband just likes to take pictures of me where I look unhappy.  I did smile, even did a little dance, but those pictures didn't come out right.  Perhaps it was the dance.  Too awesome for the camera to handle.

Here are pictures of my "new" workspace.

You can't see the picture, but the desk has a long arm.  I have a blank dry erase board, a calendar dry erase board, a magnetic board (shown holding pattern instructions!), and a yet to be mounted (hehe) cork board.  So much nicer than just making room on the dining room table.


Next up...measuring my big beautiful ass for pants.